For those who commute by car and love skirting traffic, Waze offers accurate, up-to-date traffic and other event alerts along your route.

Google purchased Waze (free) last year, and while the Editors' Choice Google Maps and Waze remain separate apps, each now incorporates features from the other, making them both better products. While Maps benefits from Waze's crowd-sourced traffic info, Waze gets improved navigation and access to Google's database of businesses. For sharing and confirming traffic incidents, Waze is way to go for drivers, though Scout for Telenav (free) has a superior, car-centric interface.

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User Interface and CrowdsourcingI used a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 running Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) to test the Waze app. When you fire it up, you see a map of your location with icons showing nearby "Wazers" as well as traffic, accident, construction, and police alerts. You can choose between 2D and 3D map views and fastest or shortest routes. In addition to avoiding toll roads and freeways, you can also allow or disallow dirt roads.

The app is a bit whimsical. You're considered a Newbie until you drive 100 miles using the app; at the start, your icon sports a pacifier until you level up. As you advance, you gain access to a bunch of options to customize your icon.

When searching for local businesses, I got the same results as in Google Maps; both found 5 out of 6 spots and neither could locate my local diner. When you click on a business, you can see a map of its location and can click to call, get directions, or go to its website.

Waze offers one widget that displays the time to your home or work. To save your home or work location, simply search the word "home" or "work," and then tap it in the search results and input the address, similar to Google Maps.

Performance, Incident Reporting, and Conclusions Even when you have no choice but to sit in traffic, there's something satisfying about knowing what's ahead. On a seemingly never-ending trip from Philadelphia to New York City, which on a good day takes about two to three hours, traffic was so bad that it took us five. When we hit a jam, I turned on Waze, which accurately alerted us to police cars ahead, closed lanes, and other traffic culprits. Once we got on the New Jersey Turnpike, Waze showed us that traffic was unfortunately backed up for miles. We had to stick to the route we were on (we were following someone else), but at least we didn't have any illusions that things would clear up "any time now." At that point, we were very thankful that our car came with satellite radio.

On the navigation screen, you can see your speed, though it has to be enabled in settings, but there's no speed limit posting or alerts. After you punch in your destination, the trip length (hours), ETA, and distance pops up. Then you can tap Go or just wait for it to automatically start routing; the app counts down about 10 seconds, giving you a chance to easily cancel if you've made an error. While navigating, you'll see your ETA, trip length in hours/minutes, and mileage to destination at the bottom of the screen. You'll also get ETA change alerts if traffic is building up—very helpful.

You can cancel your route by pressing the Menu button; other options include "share drive," which lets you connect to other Waze members, routes (to see alternate routes), navigate (add a stop or start a new route), My Waze (preferences), and more. If you often select the same alternate route, Waze will start to learn your preferences, which is convenient.

For hands-free control, Waze accepts voice commands, enabling you to navigate to home or work or get traffic information. In my tests, it worked well—I didn't have to shout or repeat myself. Audio prompts are timely and loud; you can't tap to repeat the last direction, though.

There are a multitude of other settings to play around with. For example, if you want to use the app, but not appear on other users' screens, you can set yourself as Invisible. You can set a radius for traffic events along your route or within five to 200 miles, change the map color scheme, set gas station preferences, and choose from a handful of voice options, including Boy Band and Elvis, which has to be heard to be believed.

All in all, Waze has improved since Google acquired it, while still retaining its identity. For those who drive to work everyday, it's really a matter of preference between Scout by Telenav's simple dashboard-based interface and Waze's crowd-sourced, real-time traffic.

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About the Author

Molly K. McLaughlin is a New York-based writer and editor with more than a decade of experience covering technology. She has tested and reviewed all sorts of software, mobile apps, and gadgets. Before launching her freelance business, she was an editor at PC Magazine, covering consumer electronics, followed by a stint at ConsumerSearch.com, a revie... See Full Bio

Waze (for Android)

Waze (for Android)

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